Harvesting Community Spirit

Muffy Peugh is grateful to be in what she described as a “little piece of paradise.” A Del Mar native, she attended San Dieguito High School and married her high school sweetheart. They moved into his family home in Seaside Gardens in Encinitas in 1968, raised their family, and live there still. John and Muffy Peugh own West of 101 Studio, based out of their home, specializing in custom surf fins and enamel and resin art pieces.

“As I get older, I appreciate how lucky I am to have grown up in such an amazing place,” said Muffy, “and now I have the time and ability to give back.” Muffy kept seeing announcements about Coastal Roots Farm during a time when she had been seeking something local and hands-on to commit to. So she joined a walking tour, and described, “I had no idea the size and vision that Coastal Roots Farm has in developing a community-minded approach to the growing of food and living in balance with nature.” Muffy wasted no time in getting her hands dirty and becoming a volunteer.

Coastal Roots Farm is a nonprofit community farm and education center, growing organic, healthy food for local families that need it most. It’s the Leichtag Foundation’s agricultural arm on Saxony Dr. Onsite there’s a production farm, vineyard, and food forest, all grown through a sustainable process. They partner with Encinitas Unified to help provide healthy school lunches. On Thursday evenings the farm opens their stand, where they sell this season’s fresh veggies. Proceeds provide seed funding for Coastal Roots.

Muffy weeds and harvests fruits and vegetables. She loves all the farm has to offer, but even more, the dedicated people she’s met along the way. “Every week I see more new faces,” she shared. “You work hard and get dirty.” Muffy’s parents owned a Del Mar nursery and feed store, and exhibited award-winning specimens at the Del Mar Flower Show. It’s why she loves working with soil.

But the farm is not the only place she’s planted roots; her family continues to thrive and grow. “We have two incredible daughters, Raquel and Darielle, their husbands Mark and Greg, and five adult grandchildren: Ryan, Hunter, Ryan, Shane, and Riley,” shared Muffy, who also makes time for swimming almost daily, boogie boarding, and working with tools and metal. As for her passion for giving back, Muffy related, “Most people don’t realize how many we have in our community who are struggling and hungry. I feel this is a great way to pay it forward.”

Group: Coastal Roots Farm Mission: To grow healthy food and share the harvest with the local community, holding true to the motto of “We Seed, We Grow, and We Share.” Contact: 760-479-6505 | www.coastalrootsfarm.org